Simplification

I know several people who have recently taken steps to simplify their lives by reducing the amount of stuff they do or by getting rid of a lot of the stuff they have. I have also simplified, mostly in terms of the amount of things I pack into a single day. My friend Cait eliminated over 50% of her stuff, putting herself on a shopping fast and focusing on the things she truly enjoys. My friend Victoria has been giving away her stuff for years. If you go into Victoria’s house and say, “What a lovely dish,” or “Isn’t that an interesting book,” she’s more like than not to hand it to you. After nine years of doing TV, writing books, appearing as guest, doing radio, writing blogs and articles, it was a huge relief to s l o w  d o w n. I had thought I would feel adrift in the time I had spent working on TV projects. I do not. It feels, instead, like a huge sigh of contentment.

I like this trend. Most of us have stuff we really don’t need and some of us are beginning to realize it. I’d say it is a “getting old” thing — both Victoria and I are over 50 — but my friend Cait is in her twenties, so that’s not it.

One person’s simple looks different from another’s, which is why this journey is so very personal and so very satisfying. There’s no wrong or right, there’s only what makes you feel that sense of space, the relief from chaos, the peace.

One of the things I love most about my simplified life is how much time I get to spend at home. After nine years of being on the road three days every week, being in my own home is a luxury that I wrap around myself like a soft blanket. When I am asked to speak or to appear as a guest, I weigh those experiences against the joy of being home and, carefully, accept or decline. I allocate a specific amount of days a month to travel. If an offer doesn’t suit my new home:away ratio, I just say no.

If you could simplify your life in some small way, what would it be? If my priority is to stick close to home, what’s yours?

If your life is filled with motion, which of those activities are the ones you love to do and which ones are you just doing? I love to cook. I do it slowly and with joy, relishing the chopping, the stirring, even the clean-up. And then the eating! I’m not so fond of dusting and vacuuming. Those things get only enough attention to keep my home clean.

How can you put more focus on the things that add value to your life, and less on the things you are “just doing?” Can you delegate? Can you share? Can you automate? Can you just say no?

And then there’s the stuff. We surround ourselves with so much stuff, vest so much in what we have acquired or plan next to acquire. In the end, so much of it is little more than clutter. It is remarkably lightening to parse the stuff and lose the clutter. If you don’t believe me, grab a shopping bag and walk around you house; you’re looking for 5 things to put in that bag. These are 5 things you’re not that fond of, 5 things you don’t really value. Maybe 5 things you’ve outgrown or haven’t used in the last year. Each thing you chose to put in the bag will bring you one step closer to a sigh of relief.

If you have a material streak — but, Gail, I might need it — then the lesson is even more important. We are not our stuff. But our stuff can get in the way of who we really are. So, what are you going to say goodbye to today?